1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer. More particularly, the present invention relates to a printer with a forced stop switch to stop the printing operation immediately when the output state of data transmitted from a computer contain unacceptable errors or when the print output is not required by a user, and a method to effectuate thereof.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Typically, a printer is used to print data, transmitted from a computer, onto a paper in the form of characters or graphics. Even when data transmission to the printer is interrupted by the control of the computer (such as when data errors occur in the course of the operation of a conventional printer), the printer continues to operate. This is because data temporarily stored in the print buffer remains. Therefore, paper, ink, toner or ribbon may be wasted and the duration of printer shortened, in accordance with this wasteful printing operation.
When data transmitted to the printer from the computer is interrupted and the printer is turned off, data stored in the print buffer is deleted, and the printer does not operate. The printer must be turned on to operate, and the initialization routine must be completed before further output can be generated. Much time is required in accordance with unnecessary printing operations when the printer is initialized. Further, electric power is wasted and the printer would require another wasteful set-up. These problems are not adequately addressed in the contemporary practice. The contemporary practice does not even adequately address the memory management in this situation. An exemplar of the contemporary practice is Prowak (U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,295, Method And Apparatus For Resequencing Image Data For A Printhead, Dec. 3, 1996) discussing a memory that is sequentially addressed so that the data stored at successive addresses are sequentially output from the memory in a sequence suited for the type of printhead. Uematsu (U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,351, Printer Having Constant And Variable Data Memory, Oct. 8, 1996) discusses a printer having a storage area for storing predetermined constant data and variable data, and at least a first and second image data storage area for storing image data. Imagawa (U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,876, Page Printer With Internal And External Memories, Mar. 29, 1994) discusses a page printer provided with an external memory for storing prepared page data and control section for alternatively selecting either the external memory or the page data preparing section. Mitsuhashi (U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,461, Image Processing Apparatus Which Predicts When To Prepare For Image Forming Operations, Dec. 28, 1993) discusses a developing unit developing the coded data into bit map data. A predicting unit transmits a timing signal for starting preparatory operations by the printing unit with a timing base on the predicted time. Oami et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,419, Printer, A Printer Control System And Method, May 9, 1995) discusses a printer having a buffer memory for temporarily storing new print data, and is concerned with paper jam situations. Dennis et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,847, System And Method Of Printer Banding, Feb. 18, 1997) discusses printer banding by which stored printer data files are processed a single time to create a set of bandable primitives corresponding to the entire page to be printed. From my study of the contemporary practice and art, I find that there is a need for an effective printer for handling a situation when the printer is forced to stop, especially as to effective handling of the memory containing the print data.